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On this day, Mr Basketball was born

Common Sense Contributors
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On this day, Mr Basketball was born

Mr Basketball was the nickname given to George Mikan born in Joliet, Illinois 1924. In 1938, he attended the Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary. When Mikan entered Chicago’s DePaul University in 1942, he stood 6′ 10″, weighed 245 pounds, moved awkwardly because of his frame, and wore thick glasses for his near-sightedness.

As pioneers stories go, rather stereotypically, George met 28-year-old rookie DePaul basketball coach Ray Meyer, who saw potential in the bright and intelligent freshman. Meyer just so happened to share the same Alma mater – Chicago Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary School. Looking back, this may have proved to be a coversation starter. Destiny as we know it was beginning to take shape as at the time it was believed that tall players were too awkward to ever play basketball. It’s commonplace today to think that Basketball is a Tall person game. We do have players who defy those rules however once in a while.

Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson in 2001, listed at 183cm a meager 6 feet 1 inch 

In the following months, Meyer transformed Mikan into a confident, aggressive player who took pride in his height rather than being ashamed of it. The budding DePaul Freshman learned how to make hook shots accurately with either hand. A technique that is a must in player development and commonplace since the 70s, is aptly termed the Mikan drill.

His training included punching the speed bag for core strength, arm muscle development and activation leading to muscle memory. Dancing lessons and skipping the rope were included to improve agility thereby making the once shy 6′ 10” spectacles-cladded-freshman into an explosive athlete about to lay the foundation of pro-Basketball into the form we know it today.

Mikan dominated the NCAA and invitational games with his unstoppable hook shot on offense and size and strength combo on defense. He shocked the world of Basketball by blocking shots in their downward trajectory above the basket, aka goaltending. His ability to Jump that high caused the audience to marvel as it was thought that no living being could reach that height. One may now trace back the basic goaltending rule to George Mikan’s low post dominance.

Mikan playing for DePaul in 1945

Mikan was named the Helms NCAA College Player of the Year in 1944 and 1945 and was an All-American three times. In 1945, he led DePaul to the invitational title, which at that time was as prestigious as the NCAA title. Mikan led the nation in scoring with 23.9 ppg in 1944–45 and 23.1 in 1945–46. He was named MVP for scoring 120 points in three games, including 53 points in a 97–53 win. He had managed to outscore an entire team.

Mikan went on to play for the Chicago American Gears for owner Maurice White. He led them to the PBLA title, the predecessor of the NBA, averaging 16.5 ppg as a Rookie. He was named MVP averaging 20ppg in the post season. The team folded after the owners failed bid to launch a league where he owned all the teams, a reminder that Lavar Ball is 70 years removed from the idea. The yesteryear Lavar Ball’s league folded after a month and  Mikan joined the Minneapolis Lakers with hall of fame coach John Kundla. The NBL became the NBA as the PBLA folded and the BAA merged with the NBL.

Mikan on court went on to destroy competition enroute led the league in scoring with 1,195 points, becoming the only NBL player to score more than 1,000 points in an NBL season. He beat Red Aurebach and Bill Sharman in the 1949 BAA finals. One of the many instances to illustrate his hold over the league until his fall and retirement. He led the Lakers to their first NBA title winning MVP again along the way. The following season was the only time Mikan didn’t win a pro-basketball title due to a severe leg injury. Mikan later recounted the incidents in 1990, he managed to average over 20 points a game inspite of playing with a plate taped to his leg. This showed that he was the First ever superstar player.

He dominated yet again in the 1951-52 season, as the league widened the foul lane from 6 to 12 feet. Big Men like Mikan now had to post up from twice the distance. The genius that is Mikan adapted wth a reduction in averages from 28.4 to 23.8 ppg, a FGP sink from .428 to .385. His rebounding remained top notch with averages of 13 rebounds a game. The rule was dubbed the Mikan rule and was forced by the New York Knicks, the Lakers chief rival. They met in the finals that year which the Lakers won 4-3.

A year removed and Mikan was part of the strangest game in NBA history. The Lakers lost to the Fort Wayne Pistons in a 19-18 contest. This was the game where the players played out for as long as they wanted in a stall tactic. Evidently, there was no shot clock back then and this prompted it’s introduction four years later. Mikan holds the record for the highest percent of points scored of the team as he scored 15 of the 18 Lakers points this game.

Mikan on a collectable card

The legend retired in 1954 after the 53-54′ title citing a “growing family” and “to get started in a professional world outside basketball”. This statement holds true to this day as modern legends, hall of famers and role players alike are required to plan and look towards the “after basketball phase” of their lives.

He was the first commsioner cum founder of the ABA which introduced the Blue-Red-White Ball to attract crowds. He saw the introduction of the three point line, but quit in 1969. Some years later, the now popular Slam Dunk Contest was introduced by the same ABA. In addition, the ABA gave us the Spurs, Nuggets, Pacers and the nets. The ABA made the one and done scenario feasible for the NBA.

He helped Minnesota get a NBA franchise and campaigned for better pensions till his last day in June 2005. Even in his death, he helped players as it brought to light their financial struggles post playing days.

Mikan’s statue, Target Centre Minnesota

The basketball world mourned and it seemed fitting that ex-Laker’s and then Heat Star Shaquille O’Neal paid for the funeral services.

This is an ode to Mr Basketball, a fairly huge history lesson.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Canadian GP Race Review

Common Sense Contributors
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Canadian GP Race Review

After a mega lap, Sebastian Vettel was on pole at Montreal. He converted that pole into a dominant performance reminiscent of Schumacher’s drive in 2004. The result, a happy Canadian tifosi, and a Championship lead with all the momentum purely in terms of mindset. It started off right after Stroll and Hartley collided (see tweet below).

Vettel did not look back after the restart. Verstappen had a resurgent afternoon race taking third, his first race in a few grand prix without incident, behind Valtteri Bottas who finished in second place. Bottas proved once again that he can be more than a match for his world champion teammate Lewis Hamilton who had a horrendous race by his standards racing to a distant 5th.

In the psychological battle that is the World Drivers Championship, Sebastian Vettel has seized the momentum of beating his title rival by 15 points. Hamilton knows all too well about the nuances of psychological warfare from his battle with Nico Rosberg. Only in this case, there happens to be no spoken words for now.

Elsewhere at the middle, Nico Hulkenberg and Carlos Sainz completed the best of the rest and Renault further solidified their claim to 4th place in the standings. They crucially finished ahead of the sole Force India car that scored points, in the form of Esteban Ocon. Force India were in the mix until Ocon had a botched pitstop that put him behind both Renaults, whom he beat off the line. Sergio Perez meanwhile had a incident with Sainz and was furious. Evidently, Sainz and Perez blamed each other post race.

He spent his afternoon passing cars but couldn’t make the points. The final spot was taken by Charles Leclerc, who gave Ferrari every ounce of the time and money they invested in him. He, like Verstappen and Ocon, show the hallmarks of future WDC contenders.

Fernando Alonso, meanwhile, had yet another retirement. The 24 hours of Le Mans, could not have come sooner for the McLaren man who won from sister #7 Toyota alongside ex-F1 drivers Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastian Buemi. Despite having the sister Toyota as the only means of competition, the outright pace on display was staggering as the #8 had to overcome two stop and go penalties. It’s no wonder that he is the gem that F1 will sorely miss. As the fanbase says, give this man a Mercedes and see what he can do, Truer words haven’t been spoken.

Williams had a torrid day as did Torro Rosso and yet again they score no points, however they will secure a large invoice for new parts. Williams are on track for their lowest ever finish unless they have some form of updates that can prop them up the standings. A fall from grace is sad to see, and this holds true to a fault for the once world champion side that, as recently as 2015, finished 3rd.

Kazuki Nakajima who put the Toyota #8 on Pole, and Alonso in Practice. The circus heads to Paul Ricard, for the first French GP since the 2008 race, which Felipe Massa won. It seems like a long time ago.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Spain’s New Government Holds Precarious Grip on Power

Alex Davenport
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Spain’s New Government Holds Precarious Grip on Power

Last week, Spain’s entire political system was thrown intro chaos as the country’s parliament passed a vote of no confidence against the prime minister Mariano Rajoy, ousting him and his conservative People’s Party from power. The People’s Party had long been mired in a corruption scandal, with its former treasurer Luis Barcenas being convicted of accepting bribes as the country’s national court concluded that the party had benefitted from illegally obtained funds.

Rajoy’s replacement as prime minister Pedro Sánchez, of the centre-left Socialist Party, now has a monumental task ahead of him to keep both his government and the country together in one piece. The Socialists have only 84 of the 350 seats in the Spanish Chamber of Deputies, making the task of passing any legislation, and therefore performing as an effective government, far from simple.

Mariano Rajoy, the former prime minister who was ousted by the vote of no confidence (Source: EP)

Sánchez, of course, cannot rely on the support of the People’s Party – the largest in parliament – whose Prime Minister he has just ousted, while the centrist Ciudananos have also asserted that they cannot ideologically support a left-wing government. This has forced the PSOE to deal with every other party in parliament, from the radical Podemos to various nationalist parties from the country’s Basque and Catalan regions. The result has been a fragmented yet necessary confidence-and-supply deal to maintain Sánchez and his government, with the hope being that this will be sustained until the next national elections, scheduled for 2020.

 

Whether the deal will last this long remains to be seen, with many contentious issues threatening to divide the parties. In negotiating support for the vote of no confidence against Rajoy, Sánchez committed himself to largely maintaining his predecessor’s economic policy of austerity. This will not have pleased Podemos, who have long advocated for a move away from such policies and towards higher government spending.

Pedro Sanchez, left, meeting with Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias (Source: Bernardo Perez)

Similarly, while Sánchez is arguably more sympathetic to the Catalan nationalist cause that Rajoy was, he remains staunchly against secession. This puts him in a difficult position as he approaches what is perhaps Spain’s most salient issue. If he is too antagonistic to the Catalan nationalist he risks the future of his government; too conciliatory and he risks the future of Spain as we know it. To keep his hands on power, Sánchez and his government will have to perform a number of political balancing acts to keep their allies happy.

 

Yet those hoping for a more progressive-minded government in Spain will have been encouraged by the start the Socialists have made to governing. 11 of the 17 members of Sánchez’s cabinet are female, including the deputy prime minister, the economy minister and the justice minister. Many have suggested this move represents a transitional moment for gender equality in the country.

 

As well as this, Sánchez recently defused a potentially divisive clash with Italy by accepting the arrival of a ship carrying over 600 refugees. The Italian government had refused to allow the MS Aquarius to dock in any of its ports, arguing that other countries were not fulfilling their responsibilities to accept refugees themselves. Sánchez, in resolving the issue, pointed to the importance of averting a humanitarian crisis, a progressive move which will likely have pleased the left-leaning partiers he relies on to maintain his government.

 

It will certainly be a bumpy ride for Sánchez and the Socialists, but if he can show more of the political acumen we have already seen flashes of, they may go on to surprise many.

A Golden Sweep : Warriors Crowned NBA Champions

Common Sense Contributors
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The Golden State Warriors are now NBA Champions after completing the mere formality of game 4. The sweep in the finals was sad for every person who has seen LeBron play. He gave his heart out and his team failed.

It was another case of  ‘David versus Goliath’, however this time round, the former dominated the latter. Unfortunately, LeBron and Cavalier fans across witnessed Golden State exude their dominance throughout the series. Things could have panned out very differently if the Cavaliers had managed to secure the win in game 1. They were extremely close to doing so. James had 50, the first since Michael Jordan back in 1993. There were no words to say it, he had a perfect game. However, it was Victory blown away after this……………..

 

 

This may go down in NBA history as the moment that shaped an era. An era that may cause a massive change in the landscape of Basketball. James is almost certainly out of Cleveland, and it wont tarnish his legacy as he already did what he had to. In 2016 LeBron put his team on his back and lead an outstanding comeback against the Warriors, after being down 3-1in the series, bringing back a championship to “The land”.

However, during this year’s series, LeBron reportedly incurred a self-inflicted hand injury affected his performance. He averaged  28.3 points (49.2% shooting overall and 27.3% from three-point range on just 3.7 attempts), 10.7 assists, and 8.7 rebounds in the first three games with an injured wrist. In game 4, he attempted only one three-pointer shot and took only three shots in the second half. This caused a barrage of scathing criticism from the likes of Charles Barkley, Chris Webber and Grant Hill.

Giving up does not come with the territory of being one of the greatest to ever play the game, especially considering the fact that we live in a time where you compare effort on the court to Michael Jordan. We even compare the lack of the “killer instinct” athletes at this level usually tend to have. Also noticeable is the lack of defensive effort, but that’s down to the era and the fact that James is in his 15th season. On the other hand, One would be foolish to doubt LeBron’s work ethic. To be fair to LeBron and the Cavaliers, they had a great first half and the game just went away after the Warriors took off in scoring and exploiting mismatches. Durant began to express his true potential and that was something Cleveland couldn’t handle.

For now, we can only speculate where the best player of the modern day NBA will go. In addition, Michael Jordan comparisons must be cast aside, for now.

by Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa
Rutvik Bhaskar Perepa is a student at The University of Manchester working towards a MEng in Mechanical Engineering hoping to be on a placement after Year 3. He has had the privilege to travel around his home country, India and discover the rich heritage and diversity. His personal interests include Food and travel, history, Sport among many others. Often found in discourse on various issues ranging Engineering to Religious Practices, he never shy’s away from being expressive. He believes in being open minded, empathetic and analytical is the key to problems posed on a daily basis.

Englishness, Britishness and the Search for Identity

Alex Davenport
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Englishness, Britishness and the Search for Identity

What does it mean to be English? For some, it is about tradition, history and glory. For others, it is about exclusion and prejudice. For many it is about secretly getting over-excited about England’s World Cup chances before moaning about how you knew they never stood a chance when they get knocked out at the group stages.

Football aside, the concept of English identity seems to receive a lot less attention than the more universal British identity, or that of the other nations of the UK. With this in mind a new YouGov poll commissioned by the BBC has shed some light on the nature of English identity, particularly where and with whom it is strongest.

Some of the results are to be expected. In particular, it comes as no surprise that English identity is stronger among older people, with over-65s 10% more likely to strongly identify themselves as English than those aged 18-49. Such identification is almost always more common among older people, who would have had far less access to other countries and people of other nationalities in their youth.

https://twitter.com/GoricHistoria/status/1005718845875728384

Those who live in England’s major cities, meanwhile, are far less likely to consider themselves English than those elsewhere. Being the areas of the nation with the most diverse and international populations, it may be the case that those most exposed to the social and cultural effects of globalisation hold a cosmopolitan identity alongside or even above an English one.

Perhaps most striking, though, is the difference between white and non-white people in their views on English identity. 85% of white respondents said they identified strongly as English, compared with only 45% of people from a ‘BME’ background. While 61% of white people also described themselves as ‘proud’ to be English, the same was true for only 32% of people of other ethnicities. These people were also far less positive about what it means to be English, with significantly fewer people associating the terms ‘tolerant’, ‘welcoming’ and ‘outward-looking’ than white people.

The picture this paints about England is an interesting one. In particular, it appears as though the tolerance celebrated by white English people as a part of their nation’s identity is not felt by the very people who are meant to be tolerated. Many such minorities appear to view Englishness as an identity as exclusionary by definition.

Members of the English Defence League, an organisation which for many sums up the exclusionary nature of English identity (Source: Wikimedia)

This seems to be distinct to England. According to the survey, British identity does not elicit the same negative responses from non-white people. Many more ‘BME’ respondents, around three-quarters, considered themselves British. While this is still below the figures for white people, the difference is nowhere near as large. In some ways, this is intuitive. The idea of Britain and Britishness can be seen to conjure up more images of tolerance and diversity (even if some of this is the result of the country’s imperial past), or at least less important but still benign things like politeness, tea and the Royal Family.

In comparison, Englishness, particularly a pride in being English, evokes images of football hooligans, skinheads and racists. English patriotism can be seen to go beyond usual love for one’s country seen all over the world, perhaps because England is already by far the dominant and most powerful nation of the UK. Needing to assert that identity can come across as aggressive and even violent when the nationalism of other UK nations is more about asserting the need for equal recognition alongside England. Embracing an English identity, given the relative power of England in the UK, is in many ways not dissimilar to embracing a white identity, which in countries like the UK has historically been dominant over other races, perhaps explaining the apparent link between whiteness and Englishness.

Many appear to see English identity as necessarily regressive, where Britishness and – perhaps even more so – moving identity beyond national boundaries altogether, represent open-mindedness and tolerance. Whether this is true or not, though, it is worth remembering that the more people who identify as English feel marginalised and isolated from these others, the more they are likely to assert themselves and make their voices heard. Englishness may seem like a backward-looking idea, but don’t expect it to disappear quickly as we go forward.

NBA: New Kids On The Block

Jireh Antwi
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This year’s NBA season gave birth to a crop of future basketball superstars. Here’s an overview of which rookie players rose to the occasion, on a consistent basis throughout the 2017/18 campaign.

Ben Simmons

Ben Simmons is a point guard who’s regarded to be a transcendent player. He was originally Drafted in 2016 as number 1 overall pick. Unfortunately, he broke his foot and didn’t play for the whole year. Luckily enough he was entrenched in the NBA culture, learning and studying of the kind of player he needed to be for the Philadelphia 76ers. Along with Joel Embiid he is known as part of ‘The Process’, a plan to transform Philly into a title-challenging team. Despite, being at the forefront of the race for rookie of the year, he lacks a long and mid-range shooting game. However, he makes up for it by being big and strong. At 6 feet 10, Simmons is known for his raw ability to drive to the rim. The Australian born player moved to America and attended LSU for his college career (averaged 19 points, 5 assists, 12 rebounds) he was dubbed Lebron James part 2 or the ‘Prince’, due to his high basketball IQ. Even though he never participated in the NCAA basketball finals, scouts had seen enough to place him in number one draft position. In the NBA he’s averaging 16 points, 9 assists, and 9 rebounds. In the regular season nearly averaging a triple-double, is a well-respected feat. He passed Magic Johnson’s number of triple-doubles in a rookie season, with a total of eight.

Image result for ben simmons
Simmons show glimpses of greatness throughout the regular season. Are we looking at a Magic Johnson 2.0? ( Image via Sports Illustrated)

Donovan Mitchell

Whilst playing for Louisville cardinals Mitchell averaged 15.6 points, 2.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds. The 6 foot 3 shooting guard and the number 13 draft pick for Denver nuggets, was traded on the night to the Utah Jazz. The attention on Mitchell leading up to the draft wasn’t a lot and now he’s the hottest prospect from this years draft even though he wasn’t number one or even top ten! He elevated the Utah jazz play-off chances in a tough Western conference with less talent on his team compared to Benn Simmons. For the Jazz he averaged 20 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds in the regular season. He also set the Jazz scoring record for a rookie with a 40-point game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Mitchell was also the 2018 All-Star Slam dunk contest winner with his recreation of Vince Carter’s iconic dunk. He even rocked Carter’s Toronto Raptor Jersey from 1999.

It’s fair to say in the playoffs there was quite a difference in their performances. Donovan Mitchell has been able to despatch the reigning MVP Russell Westbrook in the first round whilst salvaging an away game against the number 1 seed in the Western Conference, Houston Rockets,  in the second round. Whereas collectively the Philadelphia 76ers had a great playoff run. Ben Simmons had a number of games where he disappeared and due to his lack of shooting ability and shot selection was really easy to guard. This weakness was especially exposed in the second round against the Boston Celtics who won the series 4-1.

 

The Rookie of the Year award is a regular season performance trophy and with both players being exceptional overall it might start weighing on people’s minds with what they’ve seen in the playoffs to make their deciding factors.

Honourable Mention : Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum the small forward for the Boston Celtics, number 3 pick in 2017 draft, has all the fundamentals locked down and steps up when it really matters. He can shoot, he can create and he can defend. Averaging 13.9 points, 1.6 assists and 5 rebounds per game. For someone who’s a rookie he has the skill level of a player who’s been in the league for 4/5 years, moreover he has been a crucial piece already for the Celtics this season due to the injury of Gordon Hayward.  In this year’s playoffs, he has been the most exciting rookie to watch. More importantly, under the leadership of Brad Stevens, Tatum’s weaknesses can easily be transformed into his strengths. Case and point, Isaiah Thomas, who was exceptional for Boston despite being listed at 5 foot 9.

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Tatum laying down a devasting dunk on LeBron James. (Image via Youtube)

June 25th 2018 is the date of the award ceremonies for all the categories this year including the MVP, Sixth man of the Year, Defensive Players of the Year and so forth. Whatever the outcomes of these there will be a lot to talk about in the off-season with moves all over the league imminently happening.

Let us know who think will take the title of NBA Rookie of The Year. Comment below.

 

“Visit Rwanda” Arsenal’s Sponsorship Deal Sparks Outrage

Common Sense Contributors
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By Shafiq Kyazze.

Rwanda’s government recently signed a £34 million deal with English Premier League giants, Arsenal.

‘Visit Rwanda’ will be emblazoned on the left sleeve of players in Arsenal’s first, under-23 and women’s teams.

The country’s President, Paul Kagame is a proud supporter of the North London based football club whose players are set to visit the country for a publicity stunt in the coming months.

Paul Kagame, the president of Rwanda.

The East African nation hopes to generate over £600 million from the deal as well as double Tourism receipts from £302 to £600 million by 2024.

The fast–growing nation mainly relies on tourism as its chief source of foreign exchange and has experienced an influx in the number of British travellers visiting over the last 12 months.

The sponsorship deal has sparked outrage among some aid donors.

The deal has drawn criticism with some calling it elitist.“Many people in Rwanda are kept in the dark and don’t know the actual money invested. Rwandans are learning this through foreign media,’ local political analyst, Robert Mugabe said.

British daily newspaper, Daily Mail, referred to the new jersey as the “shirt of shame”.

“British taxpayers will be rightly shocked to learn that a country supported by huge handouts from the UK is in turn pumping millions into a fabulously rich football club in London. It’s ludicrous,” Tory MP Andrew Bridgen was quoted by the Daily Mail.

The CEO of Rwanda Development Board, Claire Akamanzi retaliated saying anyone who criticizes the Arsenal deal because Rwanda is an aid recipient either wishes the country to remain poor or doesn’t understand the key role marketing plays.

‘The more Rwanda earns from tourism, the more we can invest in our people. That’s the connection,’ the CEO tweeted.

 

Shafiq is a Chemical engineering student at The University of Manchester. He has a strong background in philosophy and history having been exposed to such issues at a very tender age. He has a voracious interest in economics, history, politics, philosophy and social issues. Shafiq is also an avid Barcelona fan and is currently a writer at TCS network.

 

2018 World Cup: Colombia…The Dark Horse?

Common Sense Contributors
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World Cup 2014 Quarter-Finalists, Colombia, have the quality to do some serious damage in this year’s tournament.

The South American nation is hoping to re-create the success they experienced in the 1990s, where they got to the round of 16 in 1990. In the 1994 qualifiers,  didn’t lose a match in the whole of the qualifying process.

Qualifying for Russia:

Colombia failed to beat any of the teams that finished above them in the qualifiers. Hence, why there is some doubt over whether they can beat the better teams in the latter stages of the competition. Not to forget they finished 4th in the qualifiers for the World Cup. Only Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, did better than them in qualifying.

It is widely accepted that South America is one of the toughest regions to qualify from, with just 4 qualifying automatically and the possibility of a fifth nation qualifying via a play-off. Just four points separated 3rd (Argentina) and 7th (Paraguay).  This stat alone gives you a glimpse into how hard it is to qualify from this region.

James Rodriguez was Colombia’s top scorer in qualifying, with a total of 6 goals in the 18 games he featured in.
He certainly will be the star man once again for Los Cafeteros. The attacking midfielder has established himself at the highest level, having won a La Liga, Bundesliga and two Champions Leagues.

Image result for james rodriguez

James Rodriguez has established himself as one of Europe’s brightest midfielders ( Image via Getty Images)

2014 reflection:

Topping the group with a maximum of 9 points, Colombia defeated Greece, Ivory Coast and Japan, scoring a total of nine in the process. The round of 16 saw La Tricolor face the runners-up of England’s group (Group D), Uruguay. A brace from James Rodriguez at the Maracana Stadium was enough to end the hopes of their fellow South-American’s went on to face the hosts Brazil in the quarter-finals.

This spelled the end of a fantastic campaign for Colombia, as goals from Thiago Silva and David Luiz were enough to send the hosts through, with James’ late goal not being enough to inspire a full comeback. James Rodriguez, who is in the preliminary squad, won the golden boot in the 2014 Brazil World Cup, scoring a total of 6, one more than Thomas Muller and two more than Neymar.

James’ class even saw him being snapped up by Real Madrid, a transfer fee worth £60 million, and could that inspire more Colombian stars to shine in Russia this summer, the world is watching. Colombia also won the Fairplay award, the award for the least yellow and red cards, and also fouls.

2018 Russia:

The South American side is in a group with Japan, Poland and Senegal. A pretty even group looking from the outside in, and could prove to be a tight affair for Colombia. Colombia is ranked 20th in the FIFA World Rankings and was 4th in 2014. A fall from grace after the last World Cup sees them below countries like Chile, who haven’t even qualified for this years’ tournament.

Colombia’s preliminary squad (23- man squad yet announced): David Ospina, Camilo Vargas, Ivan Arboleda, Jose Fernando Cuadrado; Cristian Zapata, Davinson Sanchez, Santiago Arias, Oscar Murillo, Frank Fabra, Johan Mojica, Yerry Mina, William Tesillo, Bernardo Espinosa, Stefan Medina, Farid Diaz; Wilmar Barrios, Carlos Sanchez, Jefferson Lerma, Jose Izquierdo, James Rodriguez, Giovanni Moreno, Abel Aguilar, Mateus Uribe, Yimmi Chara, Juan Fernando Quintero, Edwin Cardona, Juan Guillermo Cuadrado, Gustavo Cuellar, Sebastian Perez; Radamel Falcao Garcia, Duvan Zapata, Miguel Borja, Carlos Bacca, Luis Fernando Muriel, Teofilo Gutierrez.

You may recognise some familiar names in that list, such as:
Ospina (Arsenal second choice Goalkeeper), Zapat(AC Milan), Davinson Sanchez (Tottenham Hotspur), Yerry Mina (Barcelona), Carlos Sanchez (Fiorentina), Jose Izquierdo (Brighton and Hove Albion), James Rodriguez (Bayern Munich-loan), Juan Cuadrado (Juventus), Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco), Carlos Bacca (AC Milan), Luis Muriel (Sevilla).

The only side I see troubling Colombia in the group is Senegal, who have a lot of quality in attack, and it will be interesting to see how Davinson Sanchez and Yerry Mina deal with them. The bookmakers have set the odds for Colombia to win at 40/1. We would like to hear your views on whether Colombia can go all the way. Comment below.

Harris Academy Peckham Fails Students

Afshan D'souza-Lodhi
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Harris Academy Peckham Fails Students

This article is being constantly updated as we receive more information.

Harris Academy in Peckham seems to be failing its students once again. Not for the first time the academy is in the news for its poor attitude towards its students and is seeing an ever-growing presence of distrust towards its recent actions. Students have been protesting against the withdrawal of their subjects without any consultation.

I spoke to one student (Year 11) at the Academy who wished to remain anonymous for fear of retribution from the school. She said:

“At the beginning of the year, a new principal and head of year joined the school. Prior to this, the current year 10s, year 9s last academic year, were offered vocational subjects such as computer science, hair and beauty, motor mechanics etc, however, at christmas the head announced that any students in year 10 studying one of the subjects would have to drop it. Even if they had began [sic] coursework. Students that protested, were placed in isolation and one student was insulted on their english and told to focus on that rather than wanting their subjects back. I must mention, the removal of these subjects, was done without parental consent. As months have gone on, the teaching quality has began [sic] to worsen. Teachers neglected by management and given huge classes due to the lack of staff. The head of school left at easter, and a new one came. The behaviour system has also changed and became pretty much ineffective. Recently, it was announced more subjects were being dropped due to lack of staff. And so the union attended our academy to express the fact that what the school was doing was incorrect. A couple days after, the whole school protested. The schools response, to exclude any student they saw within the videos. They did not address the situation. I must mention though, teachers are very supportive of students (majority) however the management of the school is the problem. Ever since Rebecca Hickey and her group of colleagues step foot into our school, it has turned upside down. The students have lost respect and the school no longer has a nice atmosphere.”

Rebecca Hickey Executive Principal of Harris Academy (source: HarrisFederation.org.uk)

The school’s Executive Principal Rebecca Hickey had informed staff of plans to close the sixth-form school saying that it was “currently not financially viable in light of the current financial climate”. It seems that year 12 students on A-level courses are being signposted and supported in finding places at different Harris sixth forms for the next academic year, but those taking vocational courses are being left on their own to look for suitable places. Courses such as Hair and Beauty, Motor Maintenance and ICT are being cancelled from the school following pressure from the National Education Union.

Hickey wrote to parents earlier in May saying “The current motor vehicle maintenance and hair and beauty courses could close as colleges and other providers now offer very good apprenticeship routes for students wishing to train in these areas. We would support and help our students to make successful applications.” She adds in the letter, that “there is no longer IT at GCSE because it doesn’t exist nationally any more.” However there is evidence to suggest contrary. OCR exam board’s Cambridge Technicals in IT does exist as an alternate course for 16-18 year olds.  The letter ends with “The changes we are making are to improve the chance that our students will achieve academic success; but we will make any changes with sensitivity and care. In particular, no student’s current programme of study will be disrupted.”

Students have been reacting and protesting at their vocational courses being scrapped, ICT teaching being scaled back all part way through the school year.

Students have been filmed chanting “we want our subjects back” on a Snapchat video that was uploaded onto YouTube earlier yesterday (embedded above). The video titled “we will not stop till we’re listened too [sic] Protect then [sic]” shows the students at the South London comprehensive protesting the cutbacks to their subjects. Some students had joined the school to do particular courses which have now been withdrawn. Curriculum that had been set at the start of the year has been discontinued leaving parents and teachers alike worried for their students’ education.

It seems that teachers were also kept out of any consultation. Only a month prior, in April, Hickey had emailed staff saying “In light of the falling roll at Harris Academy Peckham, and a careful review of the current provision, we have had to make some challenging decisions. We will be closing the 6thform provision from September 2018 – this will only be on a temporary basis, but [it] is currently not financially viable in light of the current economic climate. In addition, we will be entering a period of consultation regarding restructure of some areas of support staff provision. This is to re-structure student welfare provision primarily. Staff who are affected by these changes have attended a meeting today and will now go through the HR process of consultation.
I ask you to NOT inform students at this stage. We need to manage this process carefully as our priority is to re-locate our current Year 12 students and ensure that all Year 11s have a 6th form place for September.”

Many of the parents are afraid to come forward for fear of their children being chastised by the school. The head teacher and deputy head teacher held a ‘consultation’ says Cheryl on a local radio talk show but the consultation was not one where the parents could speak or voice their concerns, rather the authorities at the Academy were talking at them.

The cancelling of vocational courses and the lack of support available to students that were taking them, feels like it may have a racist undertone to it. In the school, it seems that it is primarily black students who were taking the vocational courses. As one tweeter noted, the removal of these courses is ‘essentially telling these black kids they want them to leave with no skills’.

If you are a student or teacher at Harris Academy in Peckham and would like to talk to us about whats been going on at the school, please get in touch with us at afshan@tcsnetwork.co.uk. All comments and conversations will be kept anonymous.

A Guide To ‘Repeal The 8th’

Common Sense Contributors
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A Guide To ‘Repeal The 8th’

by Ruth Foster 

Last week, the Republic of Ireland took to the polls to vote to change part of the country’s constitution, which effectively outlawed abortion. The Republic of Ireland voted overwhelmingly to overturn this abortion ban by 66.4% to 33.6% after what the taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar described as a “quiet revolution” and a “great act of democracy”. However this historic referendum has led to misinformation and confusion surrounding the nature of the law banning abortion in the Republic of Ireland and the future for women in Northern Ireland, which will soon be the only part of either the UK or Ireland where abortion is illegal unless there is a serious risk to a woman’s life or health. Here are some key questions surrounding the referendum in the Republic of Ireland, answered:

 

What was the law in the Republic of Ireland?

The 8th Amendment of the Irish Constitution was voted into the Constitution of the Republic of Ireland in 1983. It effectively made abortion illegal by equating the life of the woman with the life of the unborn, thus banning abortion even where the pregnancy places a woman’s life at serious risk, in cases of rape or incest, or cases of FFA (fatal foetal abnormalities). The amendment reads as follows:

“The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.”

 

What happened when an Irish woman needed an abortion?

Due to the constitutional ban on abortion, women who wished to terminate their pregnancy for whatever reason were expected to go to full term. Those who had the money to do so travelled to Great Britain in order to access legal but privately-funded abortions. According to the Marie Stopes UK, every year approximately 4000 women from the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland travel to Britain to have an abortion. Many women who have not been able to afford to travel to Britain have attempted to access abortion care illegally by ordering abortion pills online. According to Together for Yes, the national Irish campaign to remove the eighth amendment, in doing this these women have risked up to 14 years in prison.

 

What was the referendum?

The referendum on repealing the 8th Amendment to the Irish Constitution was called after the Irish Citizens’ Assembly voted to recommend the introduction of unrestricted access to abortion in 2017. The referendum was held on the 25th of May 2018.

 

Who could vote in this referendum?

Only those who could physically cast their ballot within the Republic of Ireland and had lived away from the Republic of Ireland for less than 18 months were entitled to take part in the referendum. This means that people in Northern Ireland could not vote, and those who lived away from the Republic of Ireland travelled back to cast their vote, prompting the #HomeToVote to trend on social media.

 

What was on the ballot paper?

The referendum asked voters if they wanted to approve the 36th Amendment to the Constitution, thus removing the 8th Amendment and inserting a provision in its place that “may be made by law for the regulation of the termination of pregnancies”.

 

What happens next?

In the Republic of Ireland, the current legislation will remain in place until the laws are changed through Ireland’s Parliament. It is expected that abortion will be provided within a restricted time period of up to 12 weeks through the public healthcare system – fulfilling the ‘yes’ campaign’s call for free, safe, and legal abortions.

 

What about Northern Ireland?

All eyes are now on Northern Ireland and its strict abortion restrictions, with the wounds of over 18 months without a devolved government at Stormont being laid bare for the world to see. Northern Irish pro-choice activists are calling on Westminster to act, despite liberal politicians and activists in Britain calling for a non-binding referendum in Northern Ireland concerning the extension of the 1967 Abortion Act. What is important to remember is that the campaign to legalise abortion across the island of Ireland is not a new issue or a new campaign. Now that a grassroots feminist movement in the Republic of Ireland has succeeded in its objective, momentum is only building to ensure that similar movements are taken seriously in Northern Ireland.

The victory for women’s rights in Ireland is no small one, we just hope that Northern Ireland follows suite.

 

Ruth is a final year undergraduate student at the University of Edinburgh, originally from Northern Ireland. Her aim in life is to try and make the world a little bit better and care about the right things, which includes (but is in no way limited to) storytelling, politics, culture, and coffee.

Centrists have themselves to blame for their decline

Alex Davenport
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Centrists have themselves to blame for their decline

Parties and figures from the centre of the political spectrum have suffered a succession of heavy electoral losses in a number of countries over the last few years, and in many cases have come close to being wiped out altogether. More radical right- and left-wing candidates have surged in this time, often routing their more moderate counterparts in doing so.

The response of these centrists has often been to point the finger at the ‘populism’ of their rivals, who they see as using their policies to shamelessly play to the crowd to win votes. It is an argument that is not without some merit, but to stand any chance of recovering lost ground, defeated centrists need to recognise the colossal part they have played in their own downfall.

While a lot of the centre’s electoral defeats were unexpected or surprising, in many ways their causes were not. For example, a lot of us did not expect the Brexit vote, which devastated moderate politicians and bolstered those on the right, but you had to be either delusional or not paying attention to say you didn’t see the tide turning in that direction. The referendum took place against a backdrop of the surging popularity of UKIP, while more and more people who had previously backed pro-EU parties began to question the benefits of Britain’s membership of it. Even before the referendum was announced, it was not difficult to see that the European question had become a far more relevant issue to voters than it had been previously.

The populist and the centrist: Nigel Farage and Nick Clegg at a debate on the EU in 2014 (Source: PA)

Similar developments were taking place in the USA at the same time. While Hillary Clinton was expected to win a fairly easy victory in the 2016 presidential election, there had always been signs that the American people were looking for alternatives to her, and the type of politician she represented. Donald Trump’s victory against more established Republicans in the party’s primary, combined with Clinton’s close face-off with Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary, should have highlighted voters’ growing dissatisfaction with moderate politicians seen to be members of the political ‘elite’. Shocked we may have been when Trump overcame Clinton, but nobody should honestly be able to say they didn’t see it coming.

This whole issue essentially comes down to a discontentment with the status quo, epitomised by the centre-ground figures and parties who held power in a number of places. Voters were surprisingly patient for several years after the financial crisis that struck around a decade ago, without immediately trying to force any major changes in their countries, but the apparent lack of any meaningful political change since then tested that patience to its limit. Yet the moderate politicians that have held power in that time, from Barack Obama to David Cameron to Matteo Renzi, failed to inspire any hope that things might be improving for the average man or woman, leading to a growing disenchantment with these leaders and their ilk. While this was a quiet process, it was not invisible or sudden, and offered countless opportunities for those in power to take note and engage with those becoming disillusioned – these opportunities were almost invariably missed. In many cases, the moderate figures in the ascendancy appeared blind to these concerns, instead holding a misplaced confidence that they would somehow dissipate, and voters would continue to trust them.

One of the best examples of this took place during the rise of Jeremy Corbyn in the 2015 Labour party leadership election. As an ideological shift appeared to be taking place in the party, with Corbyn’s articulation of more radical left-wing ideas receiving significant support, the response of moderate wing of the party which had long been dominant within Labour was one of complete denial. There was no will to engage with the novel ideas being put forward to it nor even much of a direct challenge or counter-argument being posed to Corbyn. Rather, their response was to ignore the issue completely by cynically putting it all down to the party being ‘infiltrated’ by Trotskyist outsiders attempting to swing the leadership election. Not only was this factually incorrect, as Corbyn ended up winning the support of an overall majority of party members, even long-term ones – hardly a low-key and sudden infiltration – but also damaged their own cause and the legitimacy of their own views in the process. By appearing to fail to even acknowledge new ideas that had been put forward, moderate figures in the party vindicated the Corbyn supporters who believed they represented an unwavering commitment to the status quo, holding no desire to make any substantial changes to society.

Jeremy Corbyn takes on rivals Yvette Cooper, Liz Kendall and Andy Burnham at a Labour leadership debate in 2015 (Source: BBC)

This state of affairs will endure for those in the centre for as long as they fail to offer anything palpable to citizens. Politicians from both left and right have consistently been suggesting policies which, rightly or wrongly, many voters perceive as having the potential to genuinely affect their own lives. From promises to ban people of a particular religion from entering their country, to pledges to abolish university tuition fees, they offer a plausible and, for many, desirable route away from the status quo. Centrists, meanwhile, seem to still get bogged down in the nitty-gritty of economic and social policy when suggesting ways to improve society, offering to fix problems with screwdrivers while their rivals promise sledgehammers. To win back even some of their lost appeal, parties in the centre will need to demonstrate their capability to make genuine changes to the world as we know it, or (perhaps more cynically) at least make people think they have such a capability.

Liverpool Sign Fabinho from AS Monaco

Common Sense Contributors
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Just two days after losing 3-1 to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Kiev, Liverpool have announced the signing of central midfielder Fabinho from the French club, AS Monaco.

Fabinho has been on many of the Premier League’s biggest team’s waiting lists. Particularly after impressing in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. It isn’t surprising that Liverpool have signed a player in this area, as it seems Emre Can will be joining Italian champions Juventus on a free transfer. The Reds are looking to strengthen in many areas this summer, with defensive positions being a priority this summer as I’m sure they aren’t in any danger of losing their attacking trio.

The Brazilian international is the second summer arrival at Anfield, with Naby Kieta joining from RB Leipzig. Liverpool acquired him in August 2017 but allowed the Guinean player to have one more season with the German club.

Fabinho will fit right into Liverpool’s midfield three, with Kieta playing just in front with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain once he recovers from his nasty knee injury suffered against AS Roma in the Champions-League semi-finals. The versatile 24- year old can either play in both right back or central midfield, but it seems he will not be doing his duties at right-back as Liverpool have Nathaniel Clyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold in that position.
Having not been selected for Brazil’s World Cup squad Fabinho has months to prepare for life in Merseyside and the style of play boss, Jurgen Klopp, will play.

In my opinion £43 million pounds for Fabinho is more than reasonable for someone of that calibre and also given the inflated fees we see in the modern era of football. Fellow Brazilians at Liverpool include Roberto Firmino and Allan (on-loan at Apollon Limassol), meaning it won’t be a tall order to fit in at Liverpool.

It is a fantastic signing for Liverpool, and you can’t blame them for signing this top draw central midfielder, for a reasonable fee too.

Fabinho’s Honours: 1x Ligue 1 Champion at AS Monaco.

Champions League Final: Preview

Common Sense Contributors
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By Mike Banks.

To quote the late, great Bill Shankly: “Pressure is not the European Cup or the Championship or the Cup Final. That’s the reward.”

This Saturday’s Champions League Final is the biggest game any of the Liverpool players would have played in before. With that comes pressure, but Liverpool should go into Saturday’s final unencumbered by this pressure.

Yes, this is an important game. In fact, the importance of this game cannot be understated, but Liverpool deserve to be in the Champions League final.

On route to the final they have scored 46 goals – a Champions League record. They also knocked out the early favourites Manchester City, with relative ease. Bar a tense 45-minute spell of City dominance, Liverpool controlled the tie and could have scored more than the 5 goals they managed.

This final is the reward for the fantastic performances Liverpool have put together in Europe so far this season. The pressure that comes with it should be embraced and used as extra motivation to win.

In order to win on Saturday, Liverpool have to play with the chutzpah that is befitting of their form in the Champions League this season. I get the feeling that if Liverpool win on Saturday in Kiev, they will do so in emphatic fashion, it is the only way they know.

The most frustrating thing about Liverpool’s defeat in the Europa League Final two years ago is that the performance was so limp and anaemic. Liverpool, having played such brilliant football in the rounds prior to the final, appeared overawed by the occasion. Liverpool can ill afford a repeat of that performance, especially against a side that boast the experience, class and poise that Real Madrid do.

If Real Madrid prevail on Saturday, it is very unlikely that they will do so having outplayed Liverpool. Real Madrid, unlike Barcelona, are less defined by a specific style of play but instead by a player, a ‘Galáctico’.

Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a spectacular bicycle kick goal against Juventus (Source: Getty)

Cristiano Ronaldo embodies everything that is good about Real Madrid. He lives for the big moments; he thrives when the spotlight is on him. When his team need him the most, he usually delivers. The biggest strength this Real Madrid side possess is that they do not have to outplay you to beat you. They are happy to play in moments, rely on their experience and ride their luck. They did so against PSG, they did so against Bayern Munich too. If they want to win an unprecedented 3rd Champions League in a row, they will have to do so again against Liverpool.

Zinedine Zidane and his players will be well aware that an open, end-to-end game will play into the hands of Liverpool, so it is likely that Real will sit deep and pick their moments to spring into attack. The onus will be on Liverpool to remain calm and move the ball quickly from side to side in the final third in order to force openings. And if Liverpool manage to create openings like Bayern Munich did against Madrid, it is hard to imagine they will be as profligate given the quality of their front 3.

Perhaps the most intriguing subplot going into Saturday’s showpiece final is the battle that will take place between Mo Salah and Marcelo. Marcelo is arguably the best attacking full-back of all-time, but question marks remain about his ability to defend. Should Marcelo attack with his usual verve; it is likely that at some stage of the game Salah will exploit the space he leaves behind.

Liverpool’s scintillating front 3 (Source: Getty)

One of the main reasons Salah has scored as many goals as he has this season is because he plays so high up the pitch for Liverpool. He is often relieved of defensive duties in order to pose a threat on the break. But he could feel inclined to drop deep and protect young right-back, Trent Alexander-Arnold, should Marcelo and Madrid decide to target him.

A win for Liverpool on Saturday would be cathartic for their fans, as they have seen the club come within touching distance of silverware under Jürgen Klopp. A win would also serve as the perfect platform for the Reds to challenge Manchester City next season for their first league title for almost 3 decades.

The stage is set, history beckons. Come on you Reds.

 

Mike is a Politics PhD student and takes a keen interest in social issues, all things British politics and Liverpool FC.

Twitter: @mxkes_

Aston Villa vs Fulham

Common Sense Contributors
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Aston Villa vs Fulham

The Championship play-off final preview:

The most expensive game in the world of football is taking place at Wembley this weekend, and one team will be gifted the prize of £160million and also win a spot in the best league in the world, the Premier League. Both sides appear to be heading into the game full of confidence, with Villa boss Steve Bruce proudly claiming in his pre-match press conference that Villa’s preparation has been “absolutely ideal”.

In Bruce and Villa’s way stands the formidable free-flowing Fulham, whom have been urged by their boss, Slavisa Jokanovic to “cross the magic line” into the top-flight of English football.

Robert Snodgrass, the Villa winger on-loan from West Ham has lauded praise on Fulham striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic, citing him as “they’re the biggest threat”, an opinion backed up by the stats, with the Serbian forward having netted 12 goals in 19 appearances since joining on-loan from Newcastle in January.

The meetings from this season resulted in a win for both sides, with Villa beating Fulham 2-1 at Villa Park and Fulham defeating the Villains 2-0 at Craven Cottage. From the 2-0 win for Fulham three months ago, Villa were on the receiving end of a dominant performance from The Cottagers.

(Courtesy of www.fulhamfc.com)

In the semi-finals both sides deservedly got to the final, with Villa defeating Middlesbrough 1-0 on aggregate, whilst Fulham defeated Derby County 2-1 on aggregate. The job for Villa was done in the first leg at the Riverside Stadium as a Mile Jedinak header in the first 15 minutes of the two-legged tie was enough to see them go through into the final.

The path was harder for Fulham, as they had lost their first leg at Pride Park through a Cameron Jerome header, with the Lilywhites having to overturn a goal deficit at Craven Cottage.They did so, with goals from  Championship player of the season Ryan Sessegnon and ex-Lokeren defender, Denis Odoi adding a second through a glancing header at the front post. Both teams are good enough to get to the Premier League, but there has to be a loser. It’s a cruel game but worth the accolades if you do win it, with Villa not have been in the top flight for two seasons, whereas Fulham haven’t been in the Premier League for four years.

Can we expect Fulham to come out of this tie victorious? Although Villa do possess the experience, Fulham possess the real talent out of the two sides.

Prediction: Aston Villa 1- 3 Fulham.

 

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